With an enthusiastic, upbeat attitude I looked forward to my first keynote address on Zoom last night. I had been preparing for the Reading Specialists Council of Suffolk professional development program for weeks with the topic of Teacher Writers, Awakeners of Learning. As a writer, I felt the jitters of vulnerability. I was placing my years of study on this topic in the hands of my audience. Could I deliver my thoughts in a forty-five-minute session?
I did and this morning, I woke to the quiet of a "Second-Summer" October day and peace in my heart. I accomplished my task last night, delivering a presentation, The Power of Writing, Determining Your Why as a Teacher Writer/Awakener of Learning. As I sat at my desk, I scrolled through my mail and found an interesting one from a passionate author friend of mine, Ruth Ayres (editor of Choice Literacy). Her article, Get in the Pool: Teachers Who Write, held a truism, " If we want our students to grow as writers, then we must be teachers who write."
Today is Poetry Friday and a wonderful poet/Kidlit author, Matt Forrest Esenwine is the host of the Roundup. If you travel to his website here, you will find exciting news about his new book, A Beginner's Guide to Being Human, which will be released on October 18th. To celebrate the occasion, Matt is writing a collection of poems based on topics in his book.
